Homemade Stuffing Recipe

I love stuffing, and my homemade stuffing recipe using potato bread is one of the best I’ve ever had. It’s also one of the easiest side dishes you can make and will elevate a weeknight dinner of roast chicken into a meal to remember!

 

Homemade stuffing is the perfect side dish to complement turkey, roast chicken, and pork. And I promise you’ll have lots of smiles around the dinner table when they see you’ve made stuffing for dinner!

As a kid, I remember how much I looked forward to Thanksgiving, not only for the turkey but also for the stuffing. It was one of the few times a year my father cooked, and the old man knew how to make stuffing! In those wonderful days of yesteryear, we cooked our stuffing inside the turkey, and it was the best I’ve ever had.

But now we know why it was so good, it sucks a lot of the moisture (and flavor) out of the turkey. That’s why a stuffed turkey is often dry and overcooked. And the really bad news is, it puts us at risk for foodborne illness.

The longer it takes the turkey to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees, the more time bacteria have to multiply. That means Uncle Sal (salmonella) might be paying you and your guests an unexpected holiday visit, which will definitely dampen the festivities.

Ingredients for Homemade Stuffing

Gather the ingredients to prepare our homemade stuffing recipe. Culinary professionals call this the “Mise en Place,” which means “everything in its Place.”

Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also ensures you have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make the recipe.

Can I Change Up the Recipe?

Absolutely. We love mushrooms, so we added them to our potato bread stuffing, but if you’re not a fan of mushrooms, leave them out.

I love potato bread and how it adds a subtle sweet flavor to the stuffing, but you can make the recipe with any type of bread or premade bread cubes you prefer.

I have been known to add Italian sweet sausage to the mixture from time to time. It adds a nice flavor to stuffing. You can use turkey sausage or chicken sausage if you prefer.

Other popular add-ins are giblets, bacon, fresh herbs, craisins or raisins, and oysters.

Cooking should be about what you enjoy eating and what your family enjoys. I won’t suggest experimenting at Thanksgiving, but trying different types of stuffing during the year will be a delicious way to try new flavors.

How to Make Homemade Stuffing

Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make homemade stuffing using potato bread in your home kitchen.

It’s really easy to make stuffing. With just a little prep, your homemade potato bread stuffing will be ready for the oven.

• The first step is slicing the mushrooms, then dicing the onions and celery.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the veggies.
• Cook the veggies for 3-4 minutes or until they are somewhat soft.

• Add the cooked celery, onions, mushrooms, and all the liquid from the pan to the potato bread cubes.
• Add the poultry seasoning into your stock, and add the stock to the stuffing mixture; mix well to combine.

**Don’t add all the stock; reserve half a cup, adding it only after checking the consistency of the stuffing. The stuffing mix should be wet, but not soggy!

• Pour the stuffing into your baking pan. For this size recipe I used an 9 x 9 inch glass baking dish.
• Cover the pan with non-stick foil and bake at 350 degrees for 75-90 minutes. If you like a crispy top on your stuffing, remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking. I like my stuffing soft and moist,, so I don’t uncover it.

** Don’t use a baking pan that is too large. You don’t want a thin layer of stuffing; it should be 2+ inches deep.

I like my stuffing on the softer side, moist and flavorful. It should have a hint of butter and a light taste of poultry seasoning. The idea is to get all the ingredients working together, none overpowering the others.

Store leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for 4-5 days. It can be frozen for up to two months.

My basic homemade stuffing recipe is for a 10-12 pound turkey. For a 20-pound turkey, I make 3 times my basic recipe so I have plenty of leftovers!

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